#33 Connecting the Dots

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.” — Steve Jobs

Chatting with my friend Nick who has recently moved to NY, he brought up this quote that resonated. Perhaps it’s this age or this stage of business, but lately I have had to surrender (even more) to curiosity, spontaneity, and opportunity — the inhabitants of the unknown. It never makes sense in the moment, but it always makes sense when I look back.

To quote another interesting human:

“It’s impossible to know where you’re going unless you remember where you came from, to forego nostalgia but allow retrospect to understand the present.” — Carlo McCormick, American cultural critic and curator.

When we launched Fluff in 2018, I never would have thought:

-That we’d only have three products after 7 years.

-That we’d move to a drop model, opening our website for seven days, four times a year.

-That we’d become a fully remote team.

It’s hard to see in the moment that what we’re doing is going to pay off or if our original vision will actualise. We hope that if we do ‘A’ we’ll get to ‘B’ and so on. But it’s only in retrospect that we can make any sense of the zig-zag in-between. As the end of the year approaches, amidst one of retail’s busiest periods, I’m thinking about Fluff and my own personal position.

Between August and October I spent time in Greece, France, and Sweden; I spent time alone, with friends, and alone again. On this trip I walked for hours each day, not really knowing where I was going or where I would stop along the way. I sat at rocky beaches forgetting the time and where I needed to be, swimming in waters without a worry about what lay below the surface.

I thought about a lot. I got inspired again.

My time in Europe confirmed the certain discomfort which I’ve grown to appreciate: my relationship with the unknown. Not just the language barrier, but the cultural differences and expectations of each country, island, or town. Times where I feel nervous, intimated, completely out of my depth, shy. This same feeling applies in business, when I find myself in new situations, particularly as Fluff expands into new markets, builds our team, and tries to solve more complex problems.

In these times, I’ve realised the path of least resistance is exactly that: to stop resisting.

In doing so, for the first time in a long time, I felt like I had a holiday. For me this meant that even though I was still working, I really felt that things could wait: emails, phone calls, tasks. That things wouldn’t fall apart, and if they did, I’d be able to pick up the pieces and put them back quickly again.

This was the first Fluff drop where I’d been working overseas where it was also our best. For the first time we had the majority of our hero products available, and were able to get a glimpse into our full earning capacity. This was also the first time our ad revenue held strong, instead of tapering with each day.

I’ve never liked the saying that “if you ask the universe, you’ll receive. “

Or that everything happens for a reason. I believe that everything happens, and then we reason with ourselves… so that we feel better about ourselves. We connect the dots.

I often paraphrase the quote “everything will work out… so long as you put the work in.” This has pulled me out of various difficult situations and mindsets over time. A founder who says, “I will make $1 million dollars” is different to one who can explain how they’re going to do it, and then puts their head down and does it.

We’ve achieved a lot, learnt a lot, and fucked up a lot, particularly in the last two years. The next two are going to be even more important. Like a growing toddler who you stare at wondering who they’ll become, this is how I’ve often felt about Fluff: totally stumped. There’s been moments where I’ve seen signs of it becoming something, but it’s only ended up being fleeting. There’s been moments where I’ve wanted to ‘return’ this baby/startup. But just like a growing child, I am now starting to see it take shape, have some opinions, stand on its own; and it’s only now that I can see why all the prior decisions and events — including mistakes, have got us here and led to Fluff’s personality and positioning in the industry. Which I love.

Fluff’s recent momentum comes with a temptation to move quickly, of which I need to remind myself and connect the dots that we’re here because we were forced (and surrendered) to going slow. Having restricted capital sucked — but it meant focusing on fewer products, having fewer staff, and being smart with our resources. We had to cut the fat on most of our budgets, including content, working with young creatives and in doing so, handing over creative control. All these things ended up working in our favour: all these things allowed me to enjoy the process, including the stress. I believe they call it ‘eustress’.

Our biggest areas of focus right now:

-Elevating the customer shipping and unboxing experience.

-Ensuring our formulations are consistent and delivering on customer requests.

-Continual creation of interesting, organic content, working with young creatives who understand our vision and mission.

-Operational savings.

-Market Entry. Are we missing out or spreading ourselves too thin?

On a personal note, at the middle of this year I had been experiencing an overwhelming feeling of boredom — with myself, with work, within relationships, at home. What I love about travel is how quickly it can confirm things about who we are, or who we think we are. In Greece a friend wrote a beautiful piece titled ‘Women Who Know Themselves’. Ironically, I realised this was what I was craving, and at the same time ignoring: the feeling of knowing myself, and unashamedly being that person every day. Looking back, connecting the dots, I understand this trip, and this year, has been a remembering: about regaining confidence.

In business and in life it’s so easy to lose our footing, it can’t be perfect, as Chelsea Morley put it, ‘not every day is a slay’, but one thing we can do, that we have to do, is get back on the horse.

Honestly, what else is there.

Of course, getting back on the horse can sometimes mean hanging your boots up, to use another cliche. But getting back on the horse always means taking responsibility and accountability for what’s next. Staying in a relationship, leaving one, initiating something new, confronting a family member, a business partner, whatever it is. Nothing changes unless something moves, and that something is ourselves. I realise this more than ever every time I travel alone.

I’m interested:

• In reading: in the last three months (travel helped) I managed to get through My Mother Laughs, Aesthetica, Bird by Bird, No Bad Parts, Non-Violent Communication, and am currently between No Rules Rules and Cassandra Speaks. I reccommend them all, and particularly mixing genres. And writing: I went overseas with an intention to put more words on paper (read screen), to finish a book I’ve been writing for too long, all about our relationship to beauty. I have a very shitty first draft (the more I write, the more my words are probably getting better and yet they feel… like they’re getting worse) that I am excited (read dreading) to edit.

• In focusing: We recently interviewed a bunch of Fluff customers (and followers who have never bought) about their makeup usage and thoughts on Fluff and the industry in general. I wanted to prove/disprove my assumptions and intuitions. And I did both. But very quickly I realised who our three core customer personas are and why they connect with Fluff, and what we have to double down on. Yes, there are several fringe customers and personas, but they are not our focus. And we’re not theirs. And that’s ok. The feeling is mutual and I finally understand and accept that. It’s only taken me 7 years.
• In delegating: our next hires — it’s tempting and easy to fill an org chart with 10 staff overnight, and yet I’m challenging myself to keep ours to five. Five incredible people who can do the work of 10 ‘ok’ people alongside our contractors: our ad agency, 3pls, content creators, photographers, videographers etc. On this — we’re looking for a Fractional COO and Customer Service Lead to join our team. If you are the right person, or know someone, please email me erika@itsallfluff.com

I think what we’re doing is interesting:

• New products: Fluff’s next Drop is this week, November 26th. We’re releasing Cream Blushes. It will be our first major makeup release in five years.

• New collaborations: We’re also collaborating with four new artists. A preview can be found here. I learnt a lot from our last collaboration and I’m excited to take these learnings into even more future conversations.
• New art: Last drop we released two films — one a skate video and the other a dance/club video. Working with young filmmakers has become a cornerstone of Fluff’s brand. I love seeing their lens on beauty — literal and metaphorical, and how they perceive its tie to identity. I was stoked to see Kaius Potter win best direction for online short form recently at the Australian Director’s Guild for his film with Fluff, Before the Mirror.

Meanwhile, I’ve been on a few podcasts.

And I hadn’t spoken about them, so I am reminding myself of new audiences who might like to be brought up to speed on Fluff.

What’s the Point. A more personal chat with my good friend Luke who has known me for almost two decades, about my approach to meditation and world views. Super refreshing to not be talking about makeup for once.

The Social Medium. Fluff’s growth on TikTok and move to a Drop Model.

Formula Botanica. A deeper look at our product formulations and philosophy in the brutal/beauty industry.

Shopify Masters. The business behind the brand, how Shopify as a platform has helped us grow our business and the way we market to consumers.

One Wild Ride. Discussing whether a business can be profitable and have purpose. Go figure.

That’s it from me. Thanks for giving me your attention.

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